Taking the temperature

This month’s winner is LISA ROBERTIELLO of Valencia, California:

During a visit to Ireland in 2000, my husband and I enjoyed overnight accommodations at a working farm in the southwestern area of the country. In the morning, as I assisted the farmer’s wife with clearing the breakfast dishes, we chatted about the differences between our daily lives.

Upon entering her kitchen, I had noticed her oven was several feet away from any wall, which, being used to cooking with gas or electricity, seemed a bit odd to me. Not so for those using peat bricks as fuel.

In the ensuing conversation regarding her cooking methods, I asked this charming gal how she knew the temperature of the oven, since there were no dials or gadgets.

Her response (and read this thinking in your best Irish brogue) — “Oh, you just put your hand inside and when the hair singes on top, you know you’re ready to cook!”